FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cathy Renna, Communications Director, cell 917-757-6123, [email protected]
and Dee Tum-Monge, cell 308-391-0660, [email protected]
NATIONAL LGBTQ TASK FORCE RESPONDS TO MULTIPLE SCOTUS DECISIONS ON LAST DAY OF TERM, INCLUDING MAHMOUD V TAYLOR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
The following statements can be attributed to Allen Morris, Policy Director, National LGBTQ Task Force:
Mahmoud v. Taylor
“Today, the Supreme Court of the United States released their decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor. In a 6-3 vote, they established that it is a violation of religious freedom under the First Amendment to not allow parents or guardians the ability to opt out of school curriculum based on gender and sexuality. This means that parents can control and prevent their elementary school-aged children from engaging in LGBTQ inclusive books such as “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope”, both books under contention in the case.
This devastating attack on inclusive education is no surprise in the context of other legislation and court cases that target the LGBTQ+ community including universal health care, drag performances, pronoun use, facility bans and other forms of curriculum censorship that include prohibitions on DEI and critical race theory. This decision is a dangerous extension to the “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida, which already prevents age-appropriate classroom instruction based on gender and sexual orientation. This type of school setting can foster an unsafe and excluding environment for all children just for simply being who they are, when schools have the responsibility to keep all students safe.
And make no mistake: this is intended to make LGBTQ+ youth and those with LGBTQ+ families, feel invisible, feel a lack of acceptance by their peers and feel their identity is of less value and deserving of erasure. Storytelling is crucial for children to learn, understand, and empathize with their peers and understand the reality of the world around them. Inclusive storytelling also contributes to a positive and safer school climate. Without it, parents and schools will further silence marginalized voices and create growing and far-reaching harm to the safety, health and rights of our LGBTQ+ youth.”
Trump v. CASA:
“Birthright citizenship impacts us all and is a pillar of freedom for many marginalized communities. It is much more than a legal principle.
The 14th Amendment’s wording on citizenship is clear and is the law of the land. It was designed to provide clarity and equal footing for all people born on American soil or to citizen parents, regardless of race, status, or origin. The court’s opinion weakens judicial oversight and empowers future administrations to exploit a long set precedent of constitutional justice.
There should be no arbitrary definitions of who counts as “American.” Immigrant communities should not have to hold the burden and cost of fighting piecemeal legal battles in multiple jurisdictions simply to access protections they already have under the Constitution.
Any efforts to weaken or reinterpret birthright citizenship are not just threats to immigrants, they are direct assaults on the legacy of reconstruction and the hard-fought gains of Black Americans who survived slavery.
Though this right is enshrined in the constitution, Congress must work to further codify birthright citizenship into federal law. This is a human rights issue that impacts us all regardless of race, status, origin or creed.”
Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic:
“Access to equitable healthcare is a human right and should be treated as such by those who have power to pass legislation or implement regulations that impact our health and freedom to live.
The court’s opinion poses harm to those who need the many healthcare services Planned Parenthood provides and creates a pathway for more states to implement harsh rules on the millions of people who depend on both Medicaid and Planned Parenthood. This decision rejects the challenge to South Carolina’s ban on Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood. SCOTUS’ decision strikes down the long-standing law protecting patients’ ability to access their preferred medical provider.
In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, we have continued to see attacks on the reproductive rights of Americans levied by a SCOTUS, Congress and state-based legislators who are not invested in the best interest of the American people. Decisions like the one we saw on Thursday continue to chart the path forward for other hostile courts and legislators to attack the rights of those in need of reproductive healthcare.
This is a blatant attack on healthcare access for the most disenfranchised Americans. Decisions like this set us back as a Nation.”
For more information go to www.thetaskforce.org
-30-